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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

When to Trust Your Gut and Go With Your Instincts

I was approached by Ambient Creativeback in August to design a snowboard deck for their new client, ULLR (Nordic god of the snowfall) ; a sports drink targeted at extreme sports enthusiasts. They had their brand developed and needed to begin the promotional phase of their strategy. The art director believed I was capable of bringing this idea to life. The funny thing was, there was no idea. The client didn't have anything in mind. This is where the unusual happened. Having been an art director in the past, I understand how important it is to have a creative plan and not leave anything to chance. I always say that good design isthe product of creativity, knowledge and information.

But the art director instead, decided to leave it all up to me. He supplied the company brand plan and basically told me to have fun. I was really surprised and almost nervous. So I read through the brand plan and sketched and inked this piece.

At that point I decided on the color palette based on the brand colors and that's when I stopped. My instinct when working with an art director is to show him the progress and get any input along the way, but then I thought about how the art director went with his gut and I felt I needed to do the same. The following is the result of that decision.

I've been doing this for way over a decade, and I'm always learning. This project allowed me to see that sometimes you don't always have to plan. When the factors are all in place and the confidence is present, you need to go with your gut. Trust your instincts not your feelings. This can be done when a level of experience is present on both sides. If the art director hadn't had the confidence in me this would have turned out very different. There were no revisions and it was almost immediately approved. The client was happy and I was very proud of this piece. Obviously it would probably not have been possible without the instincts of my art director. So I thank him and thank you for reading.

I love this post. You are spot on about respecting our intuitive power. When my coaching clients have a specific problem, there are many possible solutions to entertain. I allow myself to get quiet and listen. I almost always choose the right path. It's a wonderful little tool.

What a great experience Dennis! They went with their instinct too by trusting you. I usually listen to my intuition. I like to call it the stars aligning. I think when it comes to a creative process like your design work, and web design, if they give you the main elements and just let you go, they can end up with some amazing work which is exactly what they got!

That really does sound like a great experience, and the work turned out amazing. It's very very cool and I'm sure it'll do well for them. So often I think projects are over controlled by those in control, and the end result is neither here nor there. By contrast, your art really says something! It's powerful.

Hi - I found your site through your comment on Heather's Design Blog. Looking forward to reading more!

Re: following your gut...I find that whenever I do this, my teaching improves. There are certain types of activities suggested by coursebooks that just don't fit with my personality, and when I've tried them despite this feeling, they've failed miserably. But when I adapt these to an activity I feel confident about, the students respond well. People can see fakery from a mile off, so I'm learning to go with what feels genuine for me rather than mindlessly following the advice of other teachers. It's a constant learning process.

@Lydia Thank you for visiting. You're always welcomed. I think for teachers this speaks volumes. And you remind me of a teacher I once had in high school.Mr. Phillips. We all loved him because he talked to us not down to us. He made a huge impression on me and I ran into him last year. I thanked him and it made his day. I think what you're doing is great and I hope to hear more. :)

Terrific designs. Trusting your gut really means that unconsciously you are drawing on all your life experiences and past decisions that form your current course. It's automatic -- we think it's a happy accident when we trust our gut and it comes out right. But it's everything coming together in lightening speed that guides your decision.

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Tanoshiboy started off as a nickname but is now the design and illustration blog for Salvatier Studios. Here you can see new original sketches, works-in-progress, finished work, and read about creative inspiration and knowledge on branding and marketing. I started this blog to share my passion and experiences in design with fellow artists and those in need of design.

Contact me if you would like to talk about a project, or just say hello!